Bigger ≠ Better

In America we want our space for everything.  We want large tables when we go out to a restaurant, we want large houses, we want our personal space in a crowd, we don’t want people too close.  After I took the pictures of my flat I realized  how opposite I found it here.  We have a table for four and we seat eight.  Most families, young professionals, and newlyweds live in apartments.   If someone isn’t touching you during conversation you must have forgotten to shower.  Most importantly people want to know you,  where you’re from, what you do, and if you have a cigarette haha.  My challenge for the week is not to think of space as something that gives me freedom to move but allows someone closer to me.  I know it sounds obvious but I think it will be challenging.  That was an incredibly large tangent but I hope you enjoy the pictures of my piso (apartment).  I’m in love with it!  We have two bathrooms, not so common, and our kitchen was recently remodeled.  We live within five walking minutes to my favorite plaza so all in all it was a great choice!  My roommate is from Ibiza and such a bundle of delight to live with!  I’m sorry but I have tried multiple times to upload the photos and I’m having some technological challenge!  As soon as possible I will have them up! Adios!

Tu Boquerone (literally your anchovie but it's what the Malaga people call themselves) haha

Laughter and Love Make a Day Complete

Here I am back in Málaga and it feels like home!  Have you ever gone on a trip and at the end you’re on such a high all you can think about is when you can go back?  That is exactly how I felt when I was saying a tearful adios to Málaga.  I walked around this beautiful city for 8 months and couldn’t imagine leaving.  After a few weeks back in the U.S. I knew that I had to come back!  If for a month or a year time wasn’t important.  Honestly,  if I could, I would pay for every one of you to come visit me.  Neither words nor pictures  describe this story book beauty!  Likewise, if you’ve ever returned to a place that you once lived it feels new and familiar and strange at the same time.  Faces have faded out and new ones in; everything is constantly changing.   If it’s one thing that I’ve learned over the last couple of years it is EMBRACE CHANGE.  I used to be an X+Y always = Z kind of girl and it was such a boring way of life!  Change is different, it’s unfamiliar, nerve racking, and mysterious!  I remember reading a quote and I’m paraphrasing but it went something like “courage is being afraid but doing it anyway.”  Who isn’t terrified to try something different?  It could be the best thing that ever happens to you or it could be awful and you learn from the disaster.  Life with no risk and no chance will get you an ordinary life.  Talk to a stranger, take a back road, add some pizzazz!  Besitos! 

Dia de Andalucia

What is Andalucia?  Andalucia is a region that makes up the southern part of Spain. 

Over the years I´ve lived in a pretty random set of places.  The thing I´ve realized I admire most about a town or city is its sense of heritage and pride in its roots.  Dia de Andalucia takes pride of where you come from to a new level of intensity.  This day is a holiday and celebrated as a remembrance of all the great things, foods, and places that are unique to Andalucia.  My students have been preparing for this honor for months.  Different classes worked together and preseneted  (in front of the mayor, parents, and the town) dramatic poetry readings, hip-hop flamenco, performances on flute and guitar, and one class rewrote a traditonal Malaguenan song into a rap.  Needless to say along with the children I learned a lot about Andalucia!  This day inspired my roomate and I to host a "Taste of the South" dinner.  We want to give our Spanish friends here a glimpse of what life is like in the south and in America as a whole!  If you have any ideas on foods to serve or fun quotes about the south please feel free to send them our way!

My Parents Are Coming!!!!

This is how I feel about my parents getting here tomorrow:

Heal the World

Here is the video of my 3rd grade class singing Heal the World!

Heal the World

This Sunday is International Peace Day!  In celebration our school is performing Heal the World by Michael Jackson.  While the melody in a song is incredibly important I've always been more of a "lyrics" type person.  A well written book, a touching song, or a moving film all have a good chance of leaving me in tears.  I've faced the fact that I'm a cryer, and I'm ok with that.  None of those moments compare to hearing 28 five years olds singing "Heal the world, make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race."  Looking into those huge searching eyes and the smiles that immediately warm your heart, I felt the tear drops down my cheek.  Of course I want a better place for them and hope they get all the love and affection they need to grow into the amazing people I know they will.  I get frustrated in my classes when the kids won't listen, everyone suddenly needs to go to the bathroom, and I'm fighting for their attention.  I begin to doubt if I'm even making a difference.  But it's not about me it's about those beautiful children. So, if at the end of this experience they only learn one word in English  BUT know how much I love them that's what makes the difference.  With each day that passes they take up a little more space in my heart!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UGTISl1Gts

--I'm trying to download their performance and will upload it within the next day or so :)

Happy Holidays!

What comes to mind when you think about Christmas? For many it's family, religious traditions, and all the foods that make Christmas delictable (and that make you gain "holiday weight"). I wasn't able to come home for Christmas this year so I was unsure what this holiday season held in store. Some of you may remember Lacy, my best friend from England. Her family lived in NC for a year while we were in highschool. Lacy and I met up over the summer and when they found out I was in Europe for Christmas they so kindly, invited me to spend Christmas with them this year! If I couldn't be at home for Christmas, I couldn't have picked a more perfect place to be. Lacy's family opened up their holiday with arms wide open immersing me in every part of an English Christmas. I'm quickly discovering I'm in love with falling in love; with other cultures. Prior to the trip I was so excited to go into London I did not even realize how much more of England would be so enthralling. My trip began with a holiday party (soiree) that was an absolute blast! Last minute Christmas shopping began along with getting to know the small town of Guildford, my home for the next three weeks. After the snow began to clear and trains opened up we headed to London to see Lizzie, Ben, and the Eye. London was truly astounding with lots of hustle, bustle and Christmas energy. Our next big stop was to the Hampton Court Palace which is undescribable, so I'll include a picture. I still have that fairy tale mentality and all I could think about were the past kings and the gardens; I wonder what it would be like to be a princess? Christmas day quickly came and I felt right at home in all the festivities. The Christmas feast had similiarities and differences. The traditional Christmas pudding wasn't my personal favorite but it was entertaining watching it catch on fire! A tradition where you slightly drizzle a liquor over the cake filled pudding and then light a match over it! Boxing day, the day after Christmas was spent with Pete (Lacy's boyfriend) and his family. Nothing could have been sweeter than Pete and his family who didn't even know me inviting me to spend this holiday with them. The following week we headed to Breighton to see the beaches of England. One of the things I like most about Europe is how individual it is, while there are the few chains the majority of stores and restaurants are independent. This is what gave Breighton its flare and individuality! As New Years creeped on us we found ourselves celebrating fiesta style at a Mexcian restaurant! 2011 welcomes you with  fresh starts, new beginnings, and a year full of possibilities! Next we made our way to Windsor an adorable town complete with another castle for the queen to stay at upon her request, what is she royalty? England's music venue leaves little to be desired with lots of variety in genre as well as much live music you can handle! Check out the Fubars for a sample! Unfortunately, if I tried to document all the memories and laughs I had in England I would be writing a novel. Great scenery and even better company made my holiday season more than I could have imagined!

A Trip I'll Never Forget

    While you were feasting on pumpkin pie and fighting over who should carve the turkey, I was making my way to Edinburgh Scotland (looking for a bit of comfort in their English language). After a fish and chips dinner we hit the sack, an early morning was ahead. I should clarify "hitting the sack" means staying in my first ever hostel (note it was nothing like the movie, thank goodness). We got up with the roosters and experienced the traditional British breakfast sausage, eggs, beans on toast, mushrooms, and complete with a tomato. Following we had an important meeting with Arthur, the king that is. After a 10-15 min hike we found ourselves at the top of Arthur's seat. This special spot was created so that Arthur was able to look down on the city and watch over Edinburgh. To our advantage we arrived just in time for Christmas markets galore. Followed by a whiskey tour and how Scotch contributed so much to the past of Scotland. America felt so young as I walked down the cobble stone streets and the buildings that I was sure were historic were banks. Saturday the snow began to come down! We skipped and sang Christmas carols; in the meadow you can build a snowman...you get the idea. We popped into a pub/restaurant and enjoyed beef stew and live music. The real treat came later when we found a local pub playing American football. Once again the snow began to fall and cover the ground. What a beauty Edinburgh is with a foot of snow. We made our way to the airport and put seeing another beautiful country under our belt...

You though that's where the trip ended? So did we! We never imagined our flight that day would be cancelled and the next flight wasn't until Tuesday at 11:30pm. We also never imagined we would board the plane and then sit for two hours waiting to take off for our flight to the be cancelled. After being stranded for almost a week, the snow had melted for the most part and we were confident Satudays flight was going to happen. Let me remind everyone Scotland is on the pound and we had spent most of our exchanged currency over the weekend, not anticipating an extended stay. Leave three girls broke in a foreign country and resorting to humbly calling home and begging for money.
 -- If you're wondering if the airport gave us any accomodations at all the answer would be NO! Sleeping in the airport for 4 days IS as bad as it sounds.
Now back to Saturday, we arrive at the airport and make our way to check-in. What's that I hear? "ATTENTION: all flights to Spain are cancelled due to a Spanish air strike!" I know what you're thinking but I couldn't have possbily made this sotry up. Luckily, we had prebooked Sundays flight. Skeptics, we'd become, we didn't believe we were actually heading home until our plane was in the air and we were over halfway to our destination. I don't hold a grudge against Scotland, just their airport!

     As the halfway point of this amazing journey is quickly approaching, I realize I have been a slack blogger. Over the next few days (a week in Spanish time) I'll try to bring you to speed on some of the breath taking places I have seen, delectable cuisine I've tried, and unforgetable memories I've made.
    Close your eyes, let your heart begin to race (ok not to much no heart attacks) and grab an unbrella; it is November 10:30pm, local time, and we have just landed in Paris. We have only three days and so much to see! After finding our way to the hotel we toss our luggage into the room and make a run to the Eiffel Tower. My jaw is dropped and I have no words (very uncommon). I have never been so in awe of something man made. Looking back, I took around fifty pictures of this mesmorizing attraction.

     Fall is one of those seasons I didn't realize I'd miss and then I was captivated; by the smell, the vibrant yet tranquil oranges and yellows, the way leaves seem to fall with magical timing.
The next day we can't resist, and make our way back to the Eiffel for a daylight photo shoot. We forced ourselves to move onto our next excisting stop, the Louvre. I must admit like every other tourist my first stop was Mona. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed and intrigued. This 8x10 portraity managed to bring millions to her presence; all for a mysterious smile. I've never considered myself a lover of history (not even a little) but Paris brought history to life. Napoleon was no longer just a name in a history book and Notre Dame actually existed.
    I had a birthday to remember for years to come. Live music a traditional French stew, and great friends made my last night in Paris more than I expected!
Sunday quickly approached and our wallets quickly dwindled. We spent our last hours wandering around the city. We made our way back to the airport and Spain bound we were!